SCOTTS VALLEY &GT;&GT; Stuck in the redwoods without cellphone coverage could have been a nightmare, but instead it turned into an epic fantasy for one fictional overworked office employee.

The International Academy of Dance wove its end-of-year dance showcase around the idea of enticing the office worker into a "Woodland Fairy Tale" outside the Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center Fieldhouse on Sunday.

Academy Director Shannon Cullem-Chipman said both the venue and having a themed show weaving together each performance around "fractured fairy tales" was new to the annual summertime event, but she hopes to continue the effort.

"It's been really fun working together," Cullem-Chipman said. "I think we've grown as a school and a company."

The outdoor public performances on Saturday and Sunday included special cordoned-off areas for ticket holders, and free general lawn seating. Some 140 dancers took part in the event, and hundreds of audience members attended each day's event, organizers said.

Evan Slama, 7,sat quietly munching on a picnic lunch as he watched the dance performances. His favorite character, he said, was the flying bird.

"I liked it," Slama said of the show.

On stage, Snow White danced as girls dressed as small blue birds "hatched" from a large on-stage nest. Little bumble bees pranced across the stage, and Goldilocks and the circus bears came not long after.

Nearby, Bill Bjorkman watched as his wife, Michelle, and four children performed on Sunday. He said the free seating offered a chance to expose the general public to the dance. He himself brought 15 people to watch Saturday's show.

"I think the venue's incredible. It's a nice change of pace," Bjorkman said. "The (location) worked out perfectly with the theme. It certainly has come with its challenges for an unconventional stage. (But) we've heard nothing but good things."

Helen Ohman traveled to Scotts Valley to see her granddaughter Emma Anderson's performance as both an ant and the lead deer dancer. It was the first time Ohman has seen her dance.

"I love the music, and it's lively," she said.

Emma's dad, Art Anderson of Felton, said he has been coming to his two daughters' dance shows for the past decade, and thought this was the best performance.

"The story, the chorography, everything," Anderson said. "I saw it yesterday ... And I wanted to come again — that's saying something."